“Did you know bad weather is coming?” he asked when I called him five minutes after checking in.

I heaved a dramatic sigh. “Shit, really?”

“Yeah. You’re probably going to run into it tomorrow night.”

“That’s just fucking wonderful.” I looked at the bed with deep suspicion. Were there bed bugs hiding in those sheets? That blanket? What about the pillows? I loved traveling but I hated staying in strange rooms. “If I have to get off the road a while, I will. I won’t do anything stupid.”

“I…miss you.”

“Miss you, too. Where are you?”

“In bed.”

I’d have given anything to be next to him. No bed bugs there, for sure. I gingerly sat on the edge of the bed. Motel rooms were all alike unless you could afford the expensive places. I always went for the cheap one because I hated spending money just to sleep a few hours. “Maybe you can visit me over Easter break? Fly out, stay a couple days, fly back?”

“Yeah, that would be nice. I’ll look into it.”

That made me feel better. “Good.”

We talked a while before hanging up. Pulling the covers back, I squinted at the sheets. They always looked okay, even if they felt like burlap against my skin.